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Accent® Teams Up With The V Foundation And "Digger" Phelps To Highlight College Basketball's Most Memorable Moment

Feb 18, 2004

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BELLWOOD, Ill. - With 13 seconds left in the semi-final game of the biggest college basketball tournament, Duke netted a pair of free throws to lead them to a 79-77 victory over UNLV in 1991. Although one of countless remarkable moments in college basketball history, is it the most memorable? For nearly 40 years, Accent Highlighters have been making their mark in schools, homes and offices across the nation, and now Accent wants sports fans to help decide which moment is worthy of being highlighted in the history books.

Accent Highlighters today announced it is partnering with The V Foundation for Cancer Research and legendary Notre Dame coach and broadcast analyst Richard "Digger" Phelps, to launch a nationwide search asking hoops fans to "highlight" their most memorable men's college basketball moment at AccentHighlighter.com. Phelps, who successfully led the Irish for 20 years, was responsible for numerous unforgettable moments like these during his tenure.

"Year after year, college basketball's post-season tournament provides fans with some of the most impressive plays in all of sports," said Phelps. "It's exciting that Accent is teaming up with The V Foundation to raise money for cancer research, while highlighting the passion for basketball that is shared by millions. I am proud to be working on this program." In fact, for every vote cast in this poll, Accent will make a matching dollar donation to The V Foundation. A total donation of up to $25,000 will be made by Accent in the name of the school crowned with the title of "most memorable moment." "College basketball has always been an important part of life for the Valvano family," said V Foundation CEO Nick Valvano.

"Having Digger participate in this memorable moments campaign is very special. Personally, he was my teammate and roommate at Rider College, and has been a family friend for more than 40 years. Digger's involvement in this worthwhile program would make Jim very proud." To identify 10 of the most unforgettable moments in college basketball history, Accent recently surveyed more than 100 sports writers across the country. The results yielded the following (in chronological order): 1. The first all African-American starting 5 for Texas Western (UTEP) defeat Kentucky in 1966 2. UCLA's Bill Walton's 21-of-22 performance against Memphis State in the 1973 final 3. Al McGuire's tearful 1977 farewell victory from Marquette 4. Michigan State's Magic Johnson versus Indiana State's Larry Bird in the 1979 championship game 5. North Carolina's Michael Jordan hitting a jump shot to win the 1982 championship game against Georgetown 6. N.C. State's last-second win and Wolfpack coach Jim Valvano's subsequent reaction in the 1983 championship game against Houston 7. Villanova's 1985 upset over Georgetown in the championship game 8. Bo Kimble's tribute to Hank Gathers when he a made left-handed free throw during Loyola Marymount's improbable tournament run of 1990 9. Christian Laettner's turnaround jumper for Duke in the 1992 East Regional final 10. UCLA's string of seven consecutive championships... while not a single moment, it sure was memorable Sports fans can select their favorite play from among the 10 listed at AccentHighlighter.com. Online voting will continue through tournament playoffs (March 22), with the winning play to be announced in April during the week of the tournament championship.x

"Accent Highlighters are used daily to highlight important information - from textbooks to tournament bracket sheets, so why not use them to highlight the greatest college basketball moments," said Greg Stoner, president of Sanford, makers of Accent Highlighters. "We're proud to team up with Digger and The V Foundation to give fans a chance to be heard, raise money for a great cause, and to show their enthusiasm for this wonderful game."The V Foundation for Cancer Research The V Foundation for Cancer Research was established in 1993 by ESPN and legendary basketball coach and broadcaster, the late Jim Valvano. The Foundation is dedicated to funding research to locate the causes and develop the cures for the over 100 diseases that are cancer. To date, The V Foundation has raised more than $32 million and funded more than 190 cancer research grants. The V Foundation is nationally recognized for the efficiency with which it operates, directing 85 cents of every dollar raised to research. Join us in the quest to make Jim Valvano's final dream a reality - that victims will become survivors and that this disease that claims the lives of so many of our loved ones, will devastate no more.

For additional information about The V Foundation, visit our website at www.jimmyv.org or contact The Foundation at 1-800-4JimmyV About Sanford Accent Highlighters, introduced in the early 1960s, to this day remain one of the most popular brands of information organization tools for home, office and school. Made by Sanford, a division of Newell Rubbermaid Inc. (NYSE: NWL), the company is a worldwide leader in the manufacturing and marketing of writing instruments, including such well known brands as Sharpie®, Paper Mate®, Colorific®, Parker®, Waterman®, EXPO® and uni-ball®, among others. Sanford makes more than 6,000 products ranging from markers, pens and pencils to professional art products and fine writing instruments. Headquartered in Bellwood, Ill., the Company has approximately 10,000 employees worldwide.

For more information on Sanford and its family of brands, please visit www.sanfordcorp.com or call 800.323.0749.